Rev Me Twice (11 page)

“We have a rookie reporter who covers that kind of stuff.
She’s at the hospital after every major accident. She saw you at Metropolitan.”

She should have known some stringer would cover the hospital
beat. “I guess my ratings will go through the roof again, huh, Marv?”

She could hear his smile beaming through the phone. “Goddamn
right.” He promptly cleared his throat. “I’m sorry for your troubles, though.
Come to my office when you get to work. We’ll talk.”

“On my way.”

* * * * *

Inside Marv’s office, he pulled out a chair and motioned for
Crystal to sit. His expression turned solemn. “Will your boyfriend make it
okay?”

Crystal bowed her head and then shrugged a shoulder. “The
doctor sounded hopeful, but I really don’t know.”

Marv rubbed his thick hands together and folded them in his
lap. “I feel bad, hon. Tomas is a good guy. I like him. I like you too. Despite
everything that’s happened, I want you to know I intend to do right by you.”

“Thanks.” The irony of the situation was that Crystal
understood Marv. He had a job to do. When he did his job well, the entire staff
reaped the benefits. His methods sometimes sucked, but the man wasn’t a demon.
At least, not quite.

He leaned forward and slid a desk drawer open. “Here are the
documents I promised. Our legal department took care of this first thing this
morning. That, in itself, is a miracle.” He gave her a hopeful smile. “A good
omen, maybe.” He pulled out a sheaf of legal papers attached by a paper clip
and handed them to Crystal. She looked them over and noted his signature on her
new contract with WPZX.

“I’ll look over the documents and return them before I leave
for the night.”

Marv leaned back in his chair. “Fine with me.” He scratched
his chin. “Look, considering the circumstances, how about you take two weeks
off to be with your boyfriend and then start your new job? You’ve got vacation
time coming. There couldn’t be a better time to use it.”

Crystal couldn’t agree more. She was glad Marv made the
offer before she had to ask. “Who will fill in for me?”

The conniving expression on Marv’s face almost disappeared
before she caught it. Damn. She should have known he had something up his
sleeve. “I’ve offered the part to Sandra. Provisionally. We’ll be taking auditions
until we hire someone. Sandra is welcome to apply.”

Crystal tried not to bare her teeth. “Got it all figured
out, huh, Marv?”

He had the good grace to look embarrassed. “I owe her.
You’re not the only one I caused grief.”

A light bulb went off in Crystal’s head. “You’re fucking
her. You’re doing Sandra. That’s why you settled with me without much of a
fight. An investigation might have blown the whole affair into the open. Your
wife would have found out.”

Marv looked out a window and spoke to the damp panes. “We’ve
been married thirty years. She’d be devastated.”

Crystal chuffed. “You mean she’d clean you out. Drag your
ass through the mud. Empty your fat bank accounts.” She shook her head in
disgust. “Christ, Marv, Sandra is young enough to be your granddaughter.” She
tried not to form a mental picture of the pair. Her stomach felt queasy enough.

“I take care of Sandra and she takes care of me. It’s an
arrangement.”

She’d given Marv undeserved credit for maintaining a
strictly professional relationship with employees. How could she have been so
blind?

Crystal stood, but didn’t offer her hand for a handshake.
Marv and his entire office seemed too dirty to touch all of a sudden. Some
might think that odd, coming from her. Crystal had done worse—lots more often
and usually in public.

“I’ll finish out the day and come back over the weekend to
pack my stuff. Otherwise, I’ll be at Metropolitan Hospital.” She fished inside
her purse until she found her
Slut Red
lipstick. On her way out Marv’s
office door, she tossed the tube into the trashcan.

* * * * *

Crystal sneaked past the nurse’s station to Tomas’ room and
closed his curtain, hoping to catch a few minutes with him before she got
caught. The raving bitch charge nurse who was a stickler for the
family only
rule was on duty again.

When Crystal arrived the day before, the nurse had stopped
her in the hallway and insisted she leave. When Crystal refused, the nurse had
threatened to call security. Crystal spent the rest of the shift hiding in a
tiny meditation room on the first floor. When the nurse went home, Crystal
returned to ICU. The mid-shift nurses were much more lenient and turned a blind
eye to her visits. She’d only stayed fifteen minutes, but at least her time
alone with Tomas had been peaceful.

She stroked his cheek and noted with a thrill that his
respirator was gone. Tomas was breathing on his own. “How are you, my darling?”
Crystal whispered near Tomas’ ear. “I miss you so much. Please come back to
me.”

“What are you doing in here? Didn’t I tell you the ICU is
closed to outsiders?” The stern charge nurse threw open the privacy curtain,
her face flushed with annoyance. “You have to leave. Now.” She pointed to the
door.

“Who are you calling an outsider?” A soft, but determined
voice spoke from the doorway. Crystal and the nurse turned toward the newcomer.
The woman had long, dark untamed hair and creamy skin. Her no-nonsense demeanor
left no doubt she was in charge as she entered the room. Her slim form was
dressed in expensive casual wear befitting a queen.

“Pilar.” Crystal rushed to Tomas’ mother and hugged her
tight. She pressed a kiss to the older woman’s cheek. “I’m so sorry about
Tomas.”

Pilar Alvarez-Flores MacFarland hugged her back and then
wrapped a protective arm around Crystal’s shoulders. “Crystal stays. Do you
understand?” Pilar’s tone left no doubt that arguments wouldn’t be tolerated.

The nurse set her jaw. Hatred flashed from her icy blue eyes
and Crystal realized, all at once, that the nurse recognized her. The power she
wielded over Crystal had nothing to do with hospital rules. The nurse used the
excuse to punish her for her stripping job. Crystal had been on the receiving
end of animosity many times from jealous wives and girlfriends whose lovers
watched her performances, but none as hostile as this.

Pilar continued. “Crystal is part of our family. You will
treat her accordingly.”

Crystal fought back a smile of triumph as the nurse marched
from the room.

A moment later, a bulky middle-aged man with graying hair,
whom Crystal could only assume was Pilar’s new husband, James MacFarland,
leaned against the doorway. He pointed to the small waiting room halfway down
the hall. “I got us coffee.” He smiled at Crystal and nodded hello.

Pilar squeezed Crystal’s shoulder. “I’ll give you a few
minutes with Tomas. Meet us in the waiting room. I’ll ask James to get you a
coffee too.”

Crystal went to Tomas’ bedside. She noted with a stab of
appreciation that the nurses had left her kiss print on the back of his free
hand and on the note taped to his bed. Hopefully, he’d see both before long.
The thought of Tomas lying unconscious for a month or more made her dizzy with
fear.

She kissed his cheek and brushed her mouth over his eyelids.
“Wake up, Tomas. Please. I have something important to tell you.” Her fingertips
caressed his cheek. “You were right that anyone can have sex. That stability
and connection are more important than reckless freedom.” Tomas’ accident had
dropped the earth from under her feet and severed the only lifeline she’d ever
trusted. “Love
is
special. I know that now.”

“I had it all wrong before. Come back, Tomas. I need you.”
She laid kisses on the hand free from intravenous lines and thick tape. Tears
flowed while she sat quietly beside him and watched him sleep.

When she had composed herself Crystal met Pilar and James in
the ICU waiting room. Coffee waited for her on a table in an insulated paper
cup. She sipped the hot, aromatic liquid, but barely registered the taste.

“I appreciate you taking that nurse on for me,” she said to
Pilar. “I’m usually able to fight my own battles, but Tomas’ accident has taken
the fight out of me.” She glanced toward his room. “I’ve never felt so
helpless.”

Pilar blinked her agreement. “Tomas has told me a great deal
about you. I’m glad he’s found someone who appreciates him. He might be my son,
but I know a good man when I see one.”

“I’ll be with him every day until he awakens.” Crystal had
to believe he would.

She wondered what Tomas had told Pilar about her, but didn’t
press the point. Everyone’s nerves were frazzled, and what did it matter? The
future was all that counted now. Tomas would wake up and be healthy, Crystal
would start a respectable job and forge a new life with him. She would move
beyond selfishness to selflessness. From taking to giving. She’d learn how to
make him happy.

If only he’d survive.

Crystal took another sip of coffee and realized her fingers
were crossed on the hand resting on her lap. A future with Tomas with all the
trimmings was all she could think about. Her fingers tightened the X lying
against the fabric of her skirt.
I wish, I wish.

Hope took flight.

* * * * *

“The five-day forecast brings sunny skies with temperatures
in the eighties and low humidity. Picture perfect.” Crystal smiled into the
camera at WPZX and returned from her weather chart to stand at the desk beside
the seasoned news team and sportscaster. She smoothed her navy blue suit jacket
and quipped, “Summer has never looked better in DC.”

“Thanks for that bright outlook, Crystal,” the distinguished
Ken doll look-alike replied with an equally brilliant smile. “I’m sure our
viewers will enjoy the sunshine at the beaches this weekend. That was a
promising forecast on your first day with the station. Welcome aboard.”

Since the meteorologist Crystal replaced had been promoted
to a larger station in Atlanta, she hoped the newsman wouldn’t resent her for
taking the other woman’s job. From what she’d heard from the rumor mill, he was
banging the former lead meteorologist. Crystal hoped he didn’t expect her to
fill that slot too. Her reputation preceded her and it would take time for
impressions of her to change.

The sportscaster began to read baseball scores from the
monitor while Crystal exited the set. In the wings, she unhooked her microphone
and handed it to a production assistant. She had two days off and planned to
spend them at the hospital. Though she was exhausted and stressed to the
breaking point, there was no place else in the world she’d rather be than with
Tomas.

She hurried to her dressing room down the long carpeted hall
in her sensible black pumps and unlocked the door. Inside her private quarters,
she undressed, hung her suit in the closet and removed her stage makeup. After
washing her face and changing into a blouse and slacks, she headed to her
convertible.

By the time the top rolled down, her cell phone rang. Caller
ID announced
Pilar MacFarland.
Crystal answered.

“Congratulations on your new show! You were wonderful,”
Pilar said. “I’m glad I
finally
got to see you on television.”

Crystal would be eternally grateful Pilar couldn’t access
her former TV show in New Mexico. Crystal suspected Pilar knew she’d been a
stripper when she met Tomas, but she’d never asked for details.

“I’m glad you were here to see it.” That much was true.
Crystal didn’t know how she would have survived the past two weeks without
Pilar. She suspected Tomas’ mother felt the same about her. James had returned
to work, but Pilar had stayed behind to be with her son. The women had forged a
powerful friendship during Tomas’ confinement.

“Are you on your way?” Pilar asked.

“I’m in the car and should arrive in forty minutes.”

Pilar giggled into the phone like a schoolgirl. “There’s a
wonderful surprise waiting for you. See you soon!”

Before Crystal could ask another question, Pilar disconnected
the call.

She hurried all the way to Tomas’ room. When she reached his
doorway, she stopped to collect herself and smooth her hair. She adjusted her
blouse and entered composed, ready for anything.

What she hadn’t prepared for was the sight of Tomas sitting
upright in his bed, talking with Pilar. Crystal dropped her purse on the floor
and hurried to his bedside, burbling like an idiot as she wrapped her arms
around his neck. “You came back,” she murmured against his cheek. He smelled
like antiseptic, shampoo and bar soap. “I’ve missed you so much.” She kissed
his temple and took a step backward to inspect him from head to toe.

Tomas appeared alert. He’d been bathed and his hair freshly
washed. The bandages had been replaced with sheer strips or removed all
together. Only the cast on his leg remained. He beamed up at her. “
Mi amor
.
I watched you on television. You were magnificent. I’m so proud.”

That was it. Crystal burst into joyous tears and covered her
face with her hands as her body heaved with relief. Pilar wrapped her in a
motherly hug while she fought off helpless hysteria.

Pilar let her cry it out. “I know,” the older woman
whispered. “It’s a shock.” Crystal nodded against Pilar’s shoulder. “He has to
stay another few days for observation. Then take physical therapy while his leg
heals. But the doctors think he’ll make a full recovery.”

Crystal calmed herself at last and cleaned up in the
bathroom. When she returned to Tomas’ side, she kissed him full on the mouth.
Though his lips were dry, his breath was fresh, and she had never enjoyed his
kiss as much.

Tomas had awakened. She had him back and would never
disappoint him again.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Pilar said with a knowing smile.
She pulled the privacy curtain around them and disappeared from the room.